Episode 21: Phil Posey
07.11.07
: Phil Posey, NASA co-op student
(0:00) Intro
(0:19) The 11th Annual GLOBE, or Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment,
Conference →is July 29-Aug. 3, 2007, in San Antonio, Texas.
(1:09) Interview with Phil Posey. University of North Alabama computer information systems major Phil Posey discusses ways NASA impacts non-engineering students.
NASA Cooperative Education →
(8:02) End
Send your comments or questions to:
educationpodcast@nasa.gov
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Transcript
Deana Nunley: This is NASA Student Opportunities -- a podcast connecting high school and college students with learning opportunities inside America's space agency.
Episode 21. July 11, 2007. I'm Deana Nunley.
The 11th Annual GLOBE Conference will take place in San Antonio, Texas, July 29-Aug. 3, 2007. The GLOBE, or Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment, conference will highlight new Earth system science projects that are the focus of the Next Generation GLOBE. Participants will have the opportunity to interact with scientists who are using GLOBE data in their own research, learn about new technology and science education, and discuss effective methods to enhance and implement GLOBE.
For more information about the GLOBE conference, go to
www.nasa.gov/podcast. Click on the NASA Student Opportunities podcast, and follow the link in this week's show notes.
[Music]
In this week's interview segment, we're talking with Phil Posey, a NASA co-op student at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Phil is a junior at the University of North Alabama majoring in computer information systems with an emphasis on enterprise systems.
Phil Posey: I'm doing a lot of Java, C++ and Visual Basic. And also I'm taking a lot of business classes, management, marketing and accounting -- getting the business side of it -- because I hope to be a manager one day. So I have to have a little bit of management and business experience, I guess you could say.
Deana: And how does your NASA co-op experience blend with what you're doing academically?
Phil: Oh, it does great because I'm working with the Integrated Enterprise Management Program, or IEMP, and I've been in a lot of meetings, so my business side has to come out. Business communications -- I take these classes, and I think, "Oh, this is a waste of time." But then I get in here and I'm like, "OK, I guess it wasn't a waste of time. I kind of know what I'm doing." And you have to know how to manage people. We work with contractors, so I'm trying to manage with them, and have to know what's going on. And then, also, the computer stuff I'm doing, the programming. What I'm doing right now is software development. I'm using Java, so I'm getting experience. I took a Java class this semester. And I would go in there and actually know what was going on before the teacher taught it to us, because I did it here. So it's just been a great experience.
They've sent me to a lot of training and learning experiences. [They] throw you in and get your feet wet. It's just a great experience, what I'm doing. And I get to shadow my mentor, Randy Sparkman. He is the greatest mentor, greatest boss, I've ever had. So it's just been a wonderful experience.
Deana: What would you say has been the highlight of the co-op experience for you?
Phil: Definitely the highlight was meeting NASA Administrator Michael Griffin. I got to go on this training class. It's APPEL [Academy of Program/Project and Engineering Leadership] training. It's Foundations of NASA in Aerospace. And Mike Griffin came and talked to us. It was the first time he's ever come personally and talked to our class. He also came to Marshall and did an all-hands meeting, where everybody got to come and listen to him. But this was just him, us, 25 of us, small room. [I] got to shake his hand. It was like meeting the president. It was the coolest experience I have ever had in my life. I've honestly never experienced anything like it. You walked in. The day he was coming, there are people in suits, cameras everywhere. I'm looking around, thinking, "My goodness! What's going on?" It was just overwhelming. I can't explain how overwhelming it was. It was amazing.
That was definitely the highlight of my term here, because I work with several people -- they've worked here 30 years, some 35 years -- and they've never even been in the same building as Michael Griffin. And so, here I am, a co-op, this is my first term, I've been here only three months, and they're like, "You've already met Michael Griffin? I can't believe this. I've been here 30 years." It was really neat.
Deana: Did the conversation with the NASA administrator inspire you or impact your plans for the future?
Phil: Definitely. He told us the main thing that NASA students, co-ops and new hires need to do. He told us things that you need to do if you want to move up in a career at NASA. You need to get a lot of training. NASA offers a lot of training. And it's out there for any employees that want to get it, so he gave us [information] on going back to school, getting your master's. And I've been debating on that, and I think he kind of pushed me over the edge to decide to get my master's, and, hopefully, go on to get my doctorate.
Deana: Wow. The things that you've learned this year during the co-op experience, how do you expect you'll use those once you actually are employed?
Phil: I think I've learned a lot as far as how to be a good manager. My boss taught me a lot on how to handle difficult situations, how to handle situations that are delicate, as well, and I've learned a lot of how to handle things like that. He's been great at working with teams. We do a lot of teamwork. Everything at the IEMP Competency Center is evolved around teamwork. And so I've learned how to work well with other people. At other jobs I've worked in, it's just been: here's your job, one person. You go off; sit in a corner office; do it yourself. You never see anybody else. In this one, everybody's working. Our team is as strong as the weakest link, so everybody has to work together. And that's the great thing. I really learned how to work well with other people and how to manage other people.
Deana: When you applied for the co-op, were you surprised that you were accepted?
Phil: Very. I'm a non-engineer student, and I had this picture of NASA as you had to be an engineer. Everybody thinks of NASA, really, as astronauts, and you go to space, and that's all NASA does. So you don't even think about the other parts of NASA, that they have a business side. They have a side where they need computer people. They have secretaries. They have all sorts of things. They even have horticulturists. They have everything. It's just amazing. Meteorologists. I've met a meteorologist here a couple weeks ago, and it just kind of blew my mind that a meteorologist worked at NASA. Then, when you think about it, it's like, "Well, yeah, I can see why they need that."
So I didn't expect that I would get hired on when I interviewed. They came to UNA [University of North Alabama] and I just went there, kind of as a formality, to say it's cool that I interviewed with NASA, tell people about it. And then they called me back, and next thing I know, I'm working here, and it's really overwhelming.
Deana: You say you were surprised to be accepted. What would you tell students that are thinking about applying for a co-op, or any type of NASA learning experience?
Phil: I would say, "Do it." And you would be surprised at the chance that you have of getting in. I know thousands of people apply, but don't just sit there and don't do it, thinking, "Oh, it's NASA. I'm not smart enough. I can't get in." You need to do it. You need to try it. You don't have to be the smartest. You don't have to have a 4.0. I don't have a 4.0. I know a lot of people that see your GPA see a 4.0 and think, "Oh, does this kid really have good communication skills?" So I say, "Try to get involved with the clubs at school, try to do extracurricular activities, and work on your communication skills." Work on being a "people person," because that's just as important as good grades. And if you want to work at NASA, I definitely say, "Apply, and just try, because there's a good chance that you can get hired on here." And if you do, it's a wonderful opportunity, something that I wouldn't trade for the world. It's an out-of-the-world experience.
Deana: If you want to know more about this "out-of-the-world experience," as Phil describes it, go to www.nasa.gov/podcast. Click on the NASA Student Opportunities podcast, and you'll find a link to NASA's cooperative education projects in this week's show notes.
We want to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments about NASA learning opportunities, send an e-mail to:
educationpodcast@nasa.gov
Thanks for listening.
NASA Student Opportunities is a podcast production of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
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